Ciucaș Peak – a dreamy hike, no matter the season

Whether you're a hiking enthusiast, want to see the rhododendrons in bloom or you like winter mountain challenges, the route to the Ciucas Peak is one of the most spectacular options in Carpathian Mountains.Accessible, varied and with stunning scenery in all seasons.

Today I propose you this article in which I tell you how we climbed Ciucaș Peak both in summer and winter. Below you'll find technical details, as well as beautiful photos that capture the essence of this route at both times of the year.

Technical details

There are several ways to get to the top:

OPTION 1:: Muntele Roșu – Cabana Ciucaș – Vârful Ciucaș
Starting point: Parking Muntele Rosu (aprox. 1250m)
Trail marking: red stripe trail
Duration: aprox 8h back and forth
Difficulty: medium
Hiking trail: Muntele Roșu → Șaua Gropșoarelor → Cabana Ciucaș → Șaua Tigăile Mari → Vârful Ciucaș → întors

OPTION 2: Valea Berii – Cabana Ciucaș – Vârful Ciucaș
Starting point: Forest road from DN1A through the Valea Berii
Trail marking: blue cross (until the cottage) then red stripe
Duration: aprox 8h back and forth
Difficulty: easy-medium
Access point: During summer you can drive a 4×4 up to the Ciucaș Chalet

OPTION 3:: Pasul Bratocea – Șaua Tigăile – Vârful Ciucaș
Starting point: DN1A, Pasul Bratocea
Trail marking: red stripe trail
Duration: aprox 8h back and forth
Distance: aprox. 12km back and forth
Level difference: +700 m
Difficulty: medium

Both times we started from Bratocea Pass, so we chose option 3. So I will detail this one, the rest I haven't tried so far.

Recommended equipment

For winter

For summer

Trail description

You can find here the link-ul that takes you to the location where you can leave your car at Pasul Bratocea and from there you start on the trail. I should mention that we did this route in winter with the help of guide Mihai from GetOutRomania, whose hiking program can be found on Instagram. I recommend you to go with him because the proposed tours are super cool, for all levels and you can also go out of the country in the mountains.

We, for example, didn't know where the route starts from and that's why we decided to go with Mihai for the winter tour, also because it was the first winter tour in Romania for us and we didn't have any gaiters or fangs, if we needed them. So you can also rent equipment from him when you go on his tours.

Pasul Bratocea – Culmea Bratocea (cca. 1h)

We left very early in the morning, from Pasul Bratocea (1263 m), recognizable point on the DN1A, between Cheia and Valenii de Munte. There's a small parking space right in the step, where the marker begins red stripe markerbegins, clearly visible on a signpost.

Immediately after departure, the trail starts with a slightly demanding climb through a small, not very dense forest. There's nothing to fear as the route is very well known and there are sure to be many hikers, especially at the weekend. However, you need to be loud and have a whistle handy. After the forest area, the trail starts to climb gently through alpine meadows on a wide open ridge.. You have full visibility to the east and south, where they stretch Grohotis Mountains.The climb is steady but gentle, perfect for warming up. Winter is a little more demanding than summer because of the snow.

Culmea Bratocea – Șaua Tigăile Mari (cca. 30–40 min)

After about 30-40 minutes, you reach a slightly rockier area, where you start to see the outlines of the Tigăilor Mariahead, with their strange, giant mushroom-like formations. Slowly, slowly the slope begins to rise and you start to climb up towards Șaua Tigăile Mari.

In this section the route becomes a little steep in places, but is still well defined. After about 1h 30min from Pasul Bratocea , you arrive in Șaua Tigăile Mari (cca. 1780 m) - a trail junction. Here, , the red stripe continues towards Ciucas Peak, but you can also easily bypass the summit if you want to go to the Ciucas Chalet..

In June, especially at its beginning (June 5-10), you have the opportunity to see this whole stretch of the trail full of bright pink flowers of rhododendrons.It very much depends on how cold it was before, but this is usually their time of year. For example, we did this route on June 16, 2024 and caught it just before it disappeared. We didn't see all pink hills, but there were little funnels in places. So I recommend considering the first half of June.

Classic option to the peak (from the saddle directly on the peak)

Duration: ~1h | Trail marking: red stripe trail

If you choose to continue straight up the ridge, a more sustained section follows. The route snakes through the Tigăile Mari formations and then meanders up the south face of the peak. It's exposed but very spectacular, especially if you get good visibility. The scenery is especially beautiful in winter, when it's effectively a sea of white.

After the last series of twists and turns, you exit the plateau and reach the Ciucas Peak (1954m) from where you'll get a 360-degree view of the entire area that overwhelmed me. Chances are very good that the one hour time will be even longer because, being winter, clearly it all depends on how soft the snow is. Up at the top, be well prepared because the wind is quite strong.

Detour to the Ciucaș Hut and then to the summit

Total duration: +30–40 min extra
Trail marking: Red cross to the hut, then red stripe back to the summit

Arriving in Șaua Tigăile Mari (aprox 1780m), you will meet a signpost where the route forks into two options: the red lane straight up to the summit detailed above or a detour to the hut on the red cross. In the summer, because we felt we had plenty of time and energy left, we chose to follow the red cross to the hut. The trail is more gentle, right downhill at the beginning and bypasses the rock formations and the summit. We found it a dramatic change of scenery from what we had seen in the winter.

At a certain point, you'll come to another intersection that continues right-lower towards Ciucaș Chalet or left-up towards Ciucaș Peak, also on the red stripe. We chose to go towards the summit. From here, the ascent is quite steep, through a gully. It doesn't take long, maybe 20 minutes at the most because you have to pay attention to the road. Then you're back on the normal path up the ridge where the scenery is absolutely fabulous. So in 40 minutes of steady walking you reach the Ciucaș Peak where you can relax under the open sky and surrounded by numerous mountains.

We returned to the car left in Pasul Bratocea by the same route from the summit straight down the valley to Șaua Tigăilor. We walked slowly for about 3 hours to enjoy a different perspective of the road, but also to catch our breath.

Conclusion

I'd say it's a medium to hard trail, with emphasis on hard in winter due to conditions. It can be hiked by anyone with a minimum physical condition and who is comfortable to spend at least 6 hours in the mountains. Whichever option you choose, I say it is one of the most spectacular mountain trails in Romania, with these formations so unique in the country.

For me, mountain walking is the best way to discover the real and authentic Romania. If you liked this article and it helped you to go mountain walking, I invite you to follow me here and on Instagram because more articles will follow.